Completed A Jaunt Through the City of Bones (Nightly)

[Tinnok]

For the first time in their short relationship, Tinnok looked at Nightly with the same level of perplexity that he usually regarded her at her explanations. Her eyebrows knitted together, and she leaned forward, staring him in those big yellow eyes.

"Bigger teeth? Stripes? What have you need of those? You are dark as a shadow, quiet as one too, big enough to take down a deer, to scare most anything but a Myrian tiger, and you don't need to be one of those, bigger isn't always...better."

She leaned back, thoughtfully. "Whatever made you, magic, Gods, your mother's womb, you were made perfectly, you are human and animal in one, why change it?" An edge crept into her voice then, something a little desperate, as if wishing for the right answer.

Her hands drew instinctively over the table towards him, but slid back towards her fish after a moment, and she lowered her head. His other questions filled her mind. Was this Kelvic really so desperate to learn magic?

She shook her head a little. "Places other than here? You mean the jungles?"

She contemplated. "Well, I would not be the best one to explain, as I haven't left Falyndar myself, but there are many places past here, great mountains with giant eagles, places with no trees at all, just fine dirt the color of the sun, and I am told there are even places so cold you would freeze without layers of animals skins covering your body." She smiled. "So yes I guess you could say there are places other than...here."

[Nightly]

Nightly shrank somewhat at her vocal dismissal; but he flashed his teeth in warning at the mention of his mother. “That female did not make me perfect for if she had, she would not have sold me before my eyes opened.” He saw her hands move forward, he recalled her grabbing his before. It had been strange, but comforting in a way. She retracted it however and he didn’t bother to question it.

He gave a nod, a small jerk of his head. Then his mind reeled as she described places he couldn’t imagine. “When with Queen, she only mentioned here. She didn’t think I was listening as she rambled. She hated here, but I wanted to see it. When I got out it was scary, trees and things. The sun scared me when it showed; I thought it would kill me.” He looked toward the door for which they came in.

He was scared of the complete dark, scared of the caves. When he had first gone out he had been surprised at all there was; but today he was shown proof of other places. “I wish to change to stripes, because humans do not look at the stripped cats. Bigger teeth and claws mean better chance I can bluff and leave.” He wanted to leave here.

“It is too loud in this place; to many run around. I would find somewhere more quiet.” He was use to quiet, and darkness but he was very unwilling to lose the sun again. “I can change what I look like, and hide.” Hiding was better; he could fight but today showed him something he hadn’t known. He was outnumbered, and he knew nothing of what the humans could do. He was scared of them.

“If I am thinking, it is scary here.” He hardly let himself think however. The buzzing in his head drove him mad, but also he did not like the things he felt from it. Like fear, scared of what these humans could do to him was above his other fears. “It is fine about the magic. I am probably not smart enough to learn.” He said it matter of fact, not caring in the slightest. For the moment he saw nothing wrong with his inability to learn things normally.

Wanting to forget it all, he finally grabbed the cup and peered into it. He smelled the water, but he had a hard time telling the amount of it. Staring at it for a minute, he simply mimicked what he had seen Tinnok do. He managed it fairly well. That’s to say some of the water managed to be swallowed, the rest spilt down his chest and stomach. Setting the cup back Nightly absently wiped it away.

He glanced at Tinnoks food, and then away. He had wondered if she was nearly finished. “After, we can go sell the antlers? I can see how you do the selling again.” If he watched, he could just copy what she did. That was easy enough.

[Tinnok]

She still did not understand the Kelvic. All the one's she had known had been fiercely proud of what they were, regardless of shape, and presenting the idea of changing their form probably would have disgusted them at best, and gravely insulted them at worst. But she did not questions the jaguar's motives. He had spent the beginnings of his life trapped in darkness and madness, and who knew what it did to the mind and your confidence.

"Fear is natural, but there is nothing to fear in this city...at least for you." Tinnok smirked bitterly and rose from the table, bones of the fish left there. She left a bika behind for the mess and the water and gestured to Nightly.

"But I do not like it any better than you, let me sell the tines and we can venture back out into the jungle." The half breed drew the hood back up over her features, nodding to the massive akalak behind the front counter before making her way back out into the chaos that was Taloba.

She smiled softly when a pair of Tskanna dragging massive chunks of stone behind them cleared away the throngs. Probably some repairs being made on some building or another. The elephants were massive, multiple tusks gleaming in Syna's light, mossy growth's covering their bluish skin. Tinnok longed to commune with the beasts, but here and now simply wasn't the right time, and she drew her golden gaze away from their leathery forms back towards the trading square.

They returned from whence they had come, Tinnok still weary, but refreshed by her meal, but instead of making her way to butcher shops, she stopped at a booth completely made of bones and dropped the fine looking tines upon the counter.

"What'll you take for these?"

An elderly woman with massive fangs in either earlobe, causing them to droop ponderously, squinted at the shadows beneath Tinnok's hood with suspicion.

"They look fine, good sized. How's five bikka?"

Tinnok knew she probably should have started bargaining with at least ten, but she was done haggling with the coal eyed traders of the market, and just nodded. She opened her mouth to speak when she noticed something on the counter. It was clear the woman made weapons and jewelry from the bones she traded, and a certain piece caught her eye. A flat bone pendant, circular with recesses carved in it to form a triskelion, the symbol of Caiyha. This was not enough to garner Tinnok's attention, for she liked to believe that Caiyha had no need for holy symbols other than those she naturally made, but the symbol was carved into the likeness of a wolf, from the eye of a person who may have never seen one before. It was just a silhouette, but it was canine in form, and as she passed her fingers over it, a smile crept at her lips.

"5 bikka and this pendant and you've got a deal."

The woman grunted. "2 bikka and that pendant and you have a deal."

Tinnok lifted the object up, showing the design to the store owner as if she might have forgotten what it was she had made. "I've seen wolves, mistress, and they look almost nothing like this. Whatever made you decide to choose that instead of a tiger is beyond me, but believe me, better to get rid of this now or it might just be sitting on your table for seasons...if it hasn't already."

The woman paused. "4 bikka and the necklace."

Tinnok smirked and offered her hand, five pieces of bone, one of them the necklace falling onto her skin. She nodded her thanks and turned, thumb brushing over the engraving. Strange how wolves did not live in Falyndar, yet...she always seemed to find them.

The half breed glanced to nightly and gestured for the exit, though she did not take his hand this time. If he was going to get lost, that was his fault and had nothing to do with her. Surviving in a city was just like surviving int he wild in a few respects, this being one of them. The trip took more than a few chimes but finally the dank entrance to the city came into sight and Tinnok picked up the pace, until she was practically running. She tempered this to pass through the exit, walking without so much as a backward glance at the massive tigers and their riders, keeping her shoulders rolled back and head high until she had passed through the clearing of vegetation that encircled the gate, disappearing into the thick foliage. Only then did she begin running back to her camp.

[Nightly]

Nightly stared at her, unbelieving. Yet the small gesture and he stood up and gathering his things he followed her obediently and silently nodded. Leaving sounded wonderful to him. “Quiet there, nice.” He watched her draw hood and nod, glancing behind him to what she would be gesturing to; he flashed his teeth then trotted outside. Better that thing not follow them.

Yet in stepping out he was greeted with huge beasts. Now he knew what the thing was he spotted in the jungle; only that one had been smaller. Shrinking away from them he hurried after Tinnok and away from the monsters. They were so odd, like someone stuck a whole group of different animals together. That thought sent Nightly’s muscles jumping. He really wanted away from this place, today was too much. Rubbing at his head he glanced back to check nothing followed as Tinnok had stopped and was doing that bikka thing.

There was nothing there, so he turned back to watch the word play. It was interesting, like a fight without claws. He didn’t know why they would want to do that since it was very easy to tell the winner then; but so far from all the words around; the person selling wanted the highest number they could get; the buyer the lowest. Yet his idea was thrown off, it wasn’t just those funny bone chips now; there was another thing they argued over. Then with a flash it was sold to Tinnok

Once more he followed her, peering at the new thing she had on her. He didn’t understand why she had wanted it; he saw no purpose for a flat thing; then mentally he reminded himself that he had seen no purpose of those things the people held. He now understood those were knives, and sharp as his claws and stronger. He realized that they kept moving faster; and as the left he shivered feeling the gaze of the bigger cats. He wanted to turn, check they stayed but Tinnok kept hurrying.

He was glad he had not peered behind for she took off as soon as she had dipped out of the cities sight. So he had to follow, and was not happy that he had to stay on two legs. It was not a smart move to run and change, you tend to run into things. So as the tree’s sped away and the underbrush snagged on his clothes he loped after. The day was still nice, but heavy from the rain and wet. He had stepped on something and felt it cut into his skin but he didn’t pay it any more mind then to acknowledge it happened.

Finally as he stepped on something else he reached out and grabbed Tinnoks arm in hopes she would stop. “Why do you run?” He wondered if she would even hear him over the noise of slapping plants and squishy mud. “Running is for prey, hunters do not run.” He was frowning. Really he enjoyed a run but this seemed like she was running form something and this he did not like. “Kill it, if it makes you run.” He took a chance to look behind them, but he really didn’t see anything.

OOCI am so sorry that took nearly a month! Its good I called the city because the people were not even working on the right thing! All fixed now.

[Tinnok]

"It makes for better time, Kelvic." She grinned. "Besides, we are always hunters and prey at the same time. There are things we can hunt, and will always be things that can hunt us. Why pretend that we are something more?"

The half breed wasted no more breath until her feet skidded in the moist soil. They had reached her hut. A loud bark went up as Dog smelled the cat, and the Iganu Deepwoods Dog raced out of the brush, snarling at Nightly, ears flattened against her head. Tinnok, prepared for this very event placed her hand on the scruff of the canine's head, gripping the skin tightly. Friend, she urged, sending images of the previous cat that had stayed with them. She wasn't precisely sure where Zurenai had gotten to, but Dog hadn't scented him in days because she always seemed in a foul mood when she was around big cats. She growled in protest at Tinnok's request, but with her tail between her legs trotted off into the hut, perhaps to avoid as much of the cat's scent as possible.

Tinnok glanced at Nightly, watching his reaction to the dog before gesturing to the small clearing she liked to call home. "This is where I spend much of my time, if you'd like to relax. Don't mind dog, she has just had to put up with a lot of large cats as of late."

Tinnok herself sat down on the soft earth and lay out, staring up at the green canopy and letting her breath out from the day, which had strained both body and mind. She glanced over at the Kelvic, wondering if he would shift back or stay in human form to continue to talk. She was sure it was strange for him, with the clothes, running on two feet, the bustle of Taloba. She didn't like it and she had been to the city hundreds of times...

[Nightly]

He huffed. “Yes, but we are not hunted now.” He would have felt the eyes on him had they been; and would have been up a tree. Most things here couldn’t climb and even if they did; few were as light as he to move across branches. After all, only a bigger creature would hunt him. “I do not see how running is fun with two legs. It is slow.” He still followed but felt nothing of a running rush; only agitation as another branch nicked his side.

As they finally stopped; his head whipped up at the bark. He snarled and barred his teeth right back. The only reason he wasn’t on the dog was because Tinnok had grabbed it. As the beast trotted away he was left feeling as though it had somehow won. He snorted and shook his head. “Why would you want that thing near? A creature like that can’t be very smart.” As Nightly spook, he looked around. It was nice. He would not choose such a place on the ground himself.

He watched her lay down; no he would definitely not be on the open ground. Regardless he dropped his stuff and approached Tinnok then as if her were a cat he dropped to the ground and curled up beside her, his head resting on her stomach so he could continue to watch things. More importantly, watch for that dog. He would be more than happy to show the thing which of them was stronger. Foul smelling beast that it was.

“Why did you run after you left the city, was something bad there?” She was human, and she had not seemed out of place yet she had run out of it like her tail was on fire. He shifted and looked at the pants, but for the moment he was too lazy to remove them. He could smell the dog and Tinnok, but he smelled another cat as well. He uncurled and stretched out, but didn’t move his head from her stomach. He was tired, and she was soft and warm. Much better than a branch or the ground.

“Can your magic talk to me in my other skin?” He looked at her, not moving but his eyes to do so. He recalled Queen could, it was nothing but babbling loud senseless things; but she still could. Sometimes it was sane; she would ask him to fetch someone for her, or something. Yet the most part all she did was curse names he couldn’t even remember.

[Tinnok]

She glanced at Nightly, and shrugged. "She is clever in her own way, and only wishes to keep our little home safe. We have been friends for a long time."

She watched him circle around, assessing the scene before lying down with his head on her stomach. She contemplated this calmly. It was an entirely different sensation than having a dog or cat rest upon you, but she tried to keep in mind that he was in fact a cat...just one that could also turn into a man. With one hand behind her head to prop her up she ran a hand through Nightly's hair absentmindedly as she contemplated his question.

"The truth?" She paused. Of course it would be the truth.

"It is because if those Myrians, my people knew what I had done, they would kill me like one of those pigs in the woods." She felt Nightly's body stiffen beneath her, but continued.

"You know my mark, the one that let's me talk to animals...well, a while back..." She paused. "Wait, let me start earlier." She rubbed her forehead for a moment, contemplating where precisely to begin. "I was raised by the people in that city. Not any of the one's we saw today, but by that race. I have grown up with them, fought with them. And they have always hated me because I was part snake." She gestured to her eyes. "I know you may not see it the same way, but I was hideous to them because the Dhani...the snakes you lived with, are very few, and for the past lifetimes, going years and years back, the Myrians have tried to kill them, to drive them out of the jungles so that they can rule over this land without any enemies. The snakes see the Myrians as weak and pathetic, creatures that don't live for long and multiply like rabbits, and the Myrians see the Dhani as monsters, unfit to live in our home of the jungle." She took a slow breath.

"Understand that many races used to live in the jungles, and they have all been forced to leave or wiped out trying to defend themselves because of the Myrian Queen, Myri, who united our people in our greatest time of need The Dhani, and the people of the sea are the only ones who are left." She waved her hand around.

"So long story short, they hate each other, and have hated each other for a while. The only thing that keeps tens of thousands of Myrians from killing the few hundred Dhani that still live in Zinrah is the will of the Goddesses above, a pact made between the Goddess that gave me my mark, and Myri because the Dhani are Caiyha's grandchildren."

"Now where was I?" She coughed. "So I don't know if that will explain it...but it is why the Myrians hate my eyes, my snake blood so much, because they hate Dhani, and I can only assume that Dhani would also hate me for being part Myrian, but regardless...the other day I ran into a Dhani who was marked by Caiyha just like me. We fought, but you can feel another person marked by your Goddess...or at least I could tell somehow. And so we didn't kill each other...but a Myrian patrol found me in the woods and they would have killed the Dhani...found him and killed him. And so instead of letting a fellow servant of Caiyha die...I murdered the Myrian patrol."

It was a long tale, and one Tinnok hadn't realized she needed to tell. Her body quivered then. "If and when they find out...I'll be marked as traitor and given the worst punishment imaginable. The worst part is, everyone has always thought I would be a traitor...and that's exactly what I turned out to be..." She sat there for a while in silence until she realized Nightly had asked her another question.

"Uh...no. My gift doesn't work on sentient creatures. Despite the fact you are an animal...you are also a man, and thus...or at least I think thus...my gift doesn't work on you." She smiled softly at him. "Though it would be interesting if it did."

[Nightly]

He huffed. “It smells, and it’s loud; and not very smart. What thing charges something it doesn’t know?” It was mostly a gripe to himself; Nightly found he did not like the animal being here. Had it been another Kelvic he would have killed it. As such the thing; seemed to make Tinnok happy but why he would have to see. He was pleased as sunshine when she started to pet him. He let his eyes slide shut as she started to speak again.

Yet the blunt talk of those people in the city killing her had his eyes opening and surprise. “You call them yours, yet they would kill you.” It was no question. He was starting to dislike these Myrians. Tinnok was pretty, her eyes that of a cat and the soft shimmer of scales were fun to watch from the suns light; yet they made her hide it, and would kill her like a pig? Still she called them hers and she theirs. He settled back and listened, watching as she took on nerves.

Then she confirmed it, that they hated her for her looks yet she had hunted and fought for them, did this not make a family. He watched her silently, not seeing what those mud people would see to dislike. Snakes were deadly beautiful. They looked weak maybe, but they never were. He said nothing, easily imagining now why Queen had hated these people so. He found a slight odd queasy feeling as he silently agreed that the Myrians were weak.

They were not, just different. Stupid perhaps but one ant could do nothing; millions could change everything. Tinnok called them our, yet she had said they hated her. He didn’t understand. Would the snake ones hate her for the mud people’s blood? Could she turn into a snake, he doubted they would hate her then. Females were special. The names and that of that god flew by him; he didn’t understand their revered view. Gods, he did not know what there was to believe in such things. If one should be here and show him, then he might believe in them but hardly all others.

He felt her shiver and inched closer to her, making a low humming sound. It was sad story, a confusing one. He understood better why she hide but not why she had to. He hated the thunder but it didn’t make any difference to it. Traitor was a new word but he got the gist of it. Then it was sad her magic could not help speak to him as she could a bird. “I am a jaguar, not a man.” He would not be like those people in the city. He felt the stirring of anger in the pit of his stomach. Humans were wretched creatures.

“If they did not like you, then it does not matter that they do not like you now.” He made the humming sound again, this time louder. It was a purr, he could not do it as a cat but he could now. “They will not have you, than be like me.” If she were a Kelvic, then they would not dislike her. “Can you be a snake?” He peered at her, gold eyes hardly open as the sun soaked into his skin and warmed his muscles. “If you are a snake then you can be as I am, just different. None could say different.” He brushed his cheek against her stomach trying to comfort her.

[Tinnok]

Tinnok smiled softly as she watched the Kelvic process her words. Animals held a strange no nonsense wisdom to them, so she was also curious as to his responses.

"Perhaps they are not mine any longer, perhaps they never were. When you live among a set of people for so long...it is hard to see it another way, but...you are right."

As to the comment she grinned and ruffled his hair. "You are indeed a jaguar, but you are a man as well, even if you feel more like the cat than the man." She neatened his hair then, thinking of how smooth it was. He seemed so unknowing in human form she would assume his hair might be knotted or unclean, but...then again cats spent a lot of time on physical appearance, perhaps it just carried over.

Her eyes closed for a moment as she mused on what he had said. "I suppose...well I guess you are right. In the end it doesn't matter if they hate me anymore...its just more likely they'll come try to kill me this way." She smiled sadly and the expression opened into a grin. "I cannot turn into a snake yet...but someday I hope to have such power."

Suddenly her eyes lit up and she gently moved his head off of her chest. "Would you like to meet my other friend?"

Without waiting for a response Tinnok leapt up and dashed off into the woods, the noises of rustling thicket reaching Nightly's ears even when her form had dissappeared into the thick foliage.

It took a few chimes but Tinnok re-emerged at a slower pace, carrying a boa constrictor around her neck and across her arms. She was a pretty thing, light tan with brown diamond patterns reaching across her back. Black beady eyes assessed the situation coolly as the half breed sat down cross legged and slid the constrictor towards Nightly.

"Her name is Nissila. She's been my companion for years now. Doesn't make a mess, never talks back, and is always there to listen. A good friend, no?" She smirked, stroking the cool scales of Nissila's back.

[Nightly]

He huffed at that. If it were true he would think a rock was his family. Or a tree, trees were better. Maybe he could like trees. He sulked as his hair was messed with. He would have sat up to fix it if Tinnok hadn’t gone right back to fix it; once more lolling him into a sleepy stupor. “I do not want to be human, they are not smart creatures.” He stretched out a bit more, but did nothing to move his head away from her hand.

The humans seemed so productive of their days. Selling what they caught, taking what they got to get other things. Yet they were stupid. Why dislike someone for their eyes? What did color do to matter so much? Growling he eyed Tinnok, flashing his teeth briefly. “You can kill them first. They can do nothing dead and in your stomach.” He was not pleased that Tinnok seemed to just accept that they would hurt her.

“When you can, say you are Kelvic. Then you are not what those others are.” He couldn’t quiet grasp that two races of people not liking someone was more people than he could ever hope to see. It was simple to him. Be a Kelvic and those people wouldn’t dislike her. She was not them or the other snake people; she was Kelvic and this was better; not human. Suddenly being dumped to the ground he grunted and turned to watch Tinnok run off.

What had he just missed? Looking around he didn’t see anything. No danger no food. With a sulk he curled up to once more lay in the sunny spot. Listening to the brush move and snap, he knew she hadn’t gone far. He stayed watching for threat and perked up as Tinnok came back. “Big.” He saw the snake before she even came close; he hadn’t seen one so big before. That it was just moved toward him was unsettling.

“I do not know.” He liked snakes well enough but this one appeared as if it could eat him. Shivering he peered at it then to Tinnok. “It cannot talk back to you?” He reached out and nudged the snake, very careful not to touch it with his nails. “Even with your magic?” It was pretty most certainly but he wasn’t sure if he could call it a friend. Since it had not yet moved, he grew a tiny bit braver and reached out to run the pads of his fingers over her scales.

For such an odd thing it was really soft. “It is okay,” he finally said as he stroked the scales of the snake again. “What must you do to turn to a snake, why can you not do so now?” He wondered if she would be the same color as this one, he somehow doubted it.